Personal on-demand media streaming system and method

ABSTRACT

A system and method are provided for on-demand media streaming from a user&#39;s own media library to a user&#39;s receiving device that may be located in a different location from that where the media library is stored. The present invention provides an out-of-the box on-demand media server device that may be used by itself, in conjunction with a personal computer, or in conjunction with a personal home stereo system or video system. The on-demand media server includes security mechanisms that allow a user to establish a private server that only the user may communicate with and gain access to the user&#39;s media library. In one particular embodiment, a smart card or other removable media are used as a security device to ensure that access to the media files on the user&#39;s personal on-demand media streaming server is limited to the user. In addition, the system and method provides an on-demand conversion of the media in the user&#39;s personal media library to an appropriate format.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention is directed to an improved computing system. Morespecifically, the present invention is directed to a personal on-demandmedia streaming system and method.

2. Description of Related Art

The ability to gain access to various media types via the Internet hasmade it more prevalent in our society to use the digital medium as amechanism for distributing media. For example, the Internet is used as amedium over which video, audio, graphical, and textual data aretransmitted from source devices to destination devices.

One area where the use of the Internet is most prevalent, and mosttroublesome, is the transmission of music as audio data from a sourcedevice to one or,more destination devices. The use of MP3 technology hasallowed users to convert their audio recordings to a digital format thatis easily transferable over the Internet. MP3 is an audio compressiontechnology that is part of the MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 specifications.Developed in Germany in 1991 by the Fraunhofer Institute, MP3 usesperceptual audio coding to compress compact disc (CD) quality sound by afactor of 12, while providing almost the same fidelity. MP3 music filesare played via software or a physical player that cables to the PC fortransfer.

MP3 has made it feasible to download quality audio from the Internetvery quickly, causing it to become a worldwide auditioning system fornew musicians and labels. Established bands post sample tracks from newalbums to encourage CD sales, and new bands post their music on MP3sites in order to develop an audience. Unfortunately, however, MP3 hasalso allowed users to create digital versions of copyrighted works anddistribute them to users who have not actually paid for the right to ownor use the copyrighted work.

Similar compression techniques have been developed for other types ofmedia as well. Movies, which may be in a DVD format, for example, may beconverted to one or more compressed data files in an AVI format.Similarly, pictures may be distributed digitally in a compressed form,such as JPEG. All of these various methods of compressing media intodata files that are of a size that is easily accessible over theInternet have increased the use of the Internet as a media source.

Today, many people have a large archive of media of various types, e.g.,CDs, DVDs, digital pictures, and the like. However, in order to gainaccess to the content on this media, the person must have the physicalcopy of the media available to them at their current location. This maybe a problem when a person has a large media library and wishes to haveaccess to all of the media when away from the location where the medialibrary is normally stored. For example, if a person has a library of300 compact discs having music and other audio files thereon, and theperson wishes to have access to all 300 compact discs from his worklocation, the person is required to bring all 300 compact discs to thework location in order to have access to them. In other words, physicalaccess is required and the size of the library makes physical accessimpractical.

Some attempts have been made to alleviate this problem by providingthird party source solutions. For example, the web site My.MP3.comprovided a service by which a user may obtain access to a portion of athe third party service provider's library of MP3 files once the userproved that they had actually purchased a copy of the CD having theaudio recording associated with the MP3 to which access is desired. Thisallowed a user to download the MP3 to any client computer.

The problem with this solution is that the user was forced to access thethird party service provider's library of MP3s and did not actually haveaccess to his/her own library of audio recordings. Thus, there was noassurance that a particular audio recording in the user's audiorecording library would also be in the library of MP3s of the thirdparty service provider. Moreover, the user did not have control over theuse of the MP3s but was rather subject to the requirements and whims ofthe third party service provider, i.e. the user may have to pay foraccess to the MP3, the MP3 may be available one day but then not beavailable at a later time, and the like. In addition, the quality of theMP3 version of the audio recording could not be controlled by the userand was entirely up to the third party service provider. Moreover, athird party service provider may subject the user to unwantedadvertisements and may collect information about the user's access tomedia files for use by other organizations without the user's knowledge.

The desire of users to have access to their own personal libraries ofmedia from a variety of different locations is ever increasing in ourentertainment based society. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have amethod and system for providing on-demand media streaming from a user'sown library to a user's receiving device so that the user may accesshis/her own library of media from a location remote from the location ofthe user's media library.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a system and method for on-demand mediastreaming from a user's own media library to a user's receiving devicethat may be located in a different location from that where the medialibrary is stored. The present invention provides an out-of-the boxon-demand media server device that may be used by itself, in conjunctionwith a personal computer, or in conjunction with a personal home stereosystem or video system. The on-demand media server device includes afile server for accessing a set of files on a storage device, a webserver that makes the files accessible via the file server available viathe Internet, and a user interface that provides a mechanism by which auser can enter requests for access to files stored on the storagedevice. The on-demand media server includes at least one connection portfor connecting to a high-speed Internet connection, and may include aconnection port for connecting to a personal computer and a connectionport for connecting to a stereo or video system.

The on-demand media server includes security mechanisms that allow auser to establish a private server that only the user may communicatewith and gain access to the user's media library. These securitymechanisms may include a device identifier authentication that is usedto authenticate the device to which the user wishes the media to bestreamed along with password-based, the use of secure socket layer (SSL)based communications, HyperText Transport Protocol Secure (HTTPS), andother security mechanisms that limit access to only the owner of theon-demand media streaming server. In this way, the user is assured thataccess to his/her media library is limited to only himself/herself or aselect few persons to which he/she grants access.

In one particular embodiment, a smart card or other removable media areused as a security device to ensure that access to the media files onthe user's personal on-demand media streaming server is limited to theuser. For example, the media files may be stored on a storage systemassociated with the on-demand media streaming server and the on-demandmedia streaming server may be equipped with a smart card, or other typeof removable media, reader/writer. The user may insert the smart card orremovable media into the reader/writer and the on-demand media streamingserver may transfer a digital certificate to the smart card or removablemedia and encrypted.

The digital certificate may be an indicator of which media files areaccessible by a device having the smart card or removable media insertedtherein. For example, a first digital certificate may be associated witha subgroup of the media files while another may be associated with allof the media files. In this way, if the user grants access to his/herpersonal media library to other persons, he/she may limit the access bythe digital certificate provided to the other persons.

The smart card or removable medium is required for a remotely locateddevice to gain access to the user's personal media library. Thus, thedevice from which a request is received for access to the user's medialibrary must include a reader for the smart card or removable media. Thedigital certificate located on the smart card or removable media may beaccessed via the reader and sent to the user's on-demand media streamingserver for authentication. If the digital certificate is associated witha subgroup of the media files associated with the on-demand mediastreaming server, then an identifier of the media files to which accessmay be granted may be stored in association with a session identifierfor the session established between the remote device and the on-demandmedia streaming server. Alternatively, the digital certificate may bechecked with each media file being streamed to determine if that mediafile is part of the group that may be accessed by a device using thedigital certificate.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the user may log ontohis/her own personal on-demand media streaming server using his/herclient device. The log on connection is facilitated via a wired orwireless Internet connection, a web browser application located on theclient device, and one or more of the security mechanisms mentionedabove. Upon a successful logon, the client device is provided with auser interface that provides options for selecting media to be streamedto the user's receiving device. These options may include simplyselecting the audio files that are to be streamed directly, selecting apre-established play list, select a streaming schedule, selecting a timeat which the media stream should begin, a quality of the media stream tobe provided, and the like. In addition, the user may make use of thisinterface to establish play lists, media streaming schedules, and thelike.

Upon receiving a request for at least one media file from anauthenticated client device, the on-demand media streaming server maybegin streaming the requested media file to the client device thatrequested it. The media file may be already stored in a storage devicein an appropriate format for transmission to the client device, e.g.,MP3, AVI, JPEG, etc. Alternatively, an on-demand conversion of the mediato an appropriate format may be used. For example, the on-demand mediastreaming server of the present invention may be associated with a mediareader, such as a CD changer, a DVD player, a video cassette recorder, atelevision, a satellite television receiver, a hard disk basedtelevision recorder, or the like.

The on-demand media streaming server, in response to receiving a requestfor media that is present in one of these readers, may access the mediavia the appropriate reader, convert at least a portion of the media to acompressed format, e.g., MP3, AVI, JPEG, and stream that portion to therequesting client device. As more portions of the media become availablefor streaming through this process, the additional portions may bestreamed to the client device which stores the portions in a buffer sothat a seamless presentation of the media is provided at the clientdevice.

In this way, a user may have access to their personal media library viaa personal on-demand media streaming server that they own. Securitymechanism are utilized to ensure that access to the personal medialibrary is limited to only the user or a small select group of personsto whom the user has granted expressed permission to access portions ofthe user's personal media library. In addition, the present inventionmay provide for on-demand conversion of media to a streaming format whenused in conjunction with a media reader. These and other features andadvantages of the present invention will be described in, or will becomeapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of, the followingdetailed description of the preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are setforth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well asa preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, willbest be understood by reference to the following detailed description ofan illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram of a distributed data processingsystem in which the present invention may be implemented;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of a personal on-demand mediastreaming server computing device in which the present invention may beimplemented;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary block diagram of a client computing device inwhich the present invention may be implemented;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating the primary operationalelements of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary message flow diagram illustrating a message flowfor requesting and streaming media to a client device;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram of an alternative embodiment of apersonal on-demand media streaming server according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram of an alternative embodiment of a clientdevice according to the present invention;

FIG. 8A is an exemplary diagram of an alternative embodiment of adistributed data processing system in which the present invention may beimplemented;

FIG. 8B is an exemplary block diagram of a personal on-demand mediastreaming server in accordance with the embodiment illustrated in FIG.8A;

FIG. 9 is an exemplary message flow diagram of the alternativeembodiment illustrated in FIG. 8A; and

FIG. 10 is an exemplary flowchart outlining an exemplary operation ofthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As mentioned above, the present invention provides a personal on-demandmedia streaming system and method. Thus, the present invention isideally suited for use with a distributed data processing system inwhich a network, such as the Internet, is utilized as a data transfermedium. Thus, the following diagrams in FIGS. 1-3 are intended toprovide a background regarding the distributed data processingenvironment in which the present invention may be implemented as well asthe computing devices in which the present invention may be implemented.

With reference now to the figures, FIG. 1 depicts an exemplaryrepresentation of a network of data processing systems in which thepresent invention may be implemented. Network data processing system 100is a network of computers in which the present invention may beimplemented. Network data processing system 100 contains a network 102,which is the medium used to provide communications links between variousdevices and computers connected together within network data processingsystem 100. Network 102 may include connections, such as wire, wirelesscommunication links, or fiber optic cables.

In the depicted example, personal on-demand media streaming server 104is connected to network 102 either directly or via a personal computer106. In addition, client devices 108 and 112 are connected to network102 either directly or through wireless means, such as wireless networkbase station 110. These clients 108, and 112 may be, for example,personal computers, network computers, personal digital assistants,digital wireless telephones with Internet capability, wireless enabledautomobile stereo systems, wireless enabled MP3 or digital musicplayers, in-car video systems, computerized alarm clocks, intercomsystems in homes, kitchen radio devices and other household appliancesthat would traditionally play physical media or receive radio and/ortelevision signals, or the like. In short, the client devices 108 and112 may be any data processing device that is capable of outputtingstreaming media.

In the depicted example, personal on-demand media streaming server 104provides streaming media data, to client devices 108 and 112 uponrequest and authentication of the client devices 108 and 112. Clientdevices 108 and 112 are clients to server 104. Network data processingsystem 100 may include additional servers, clients, and other devicesnot shown.

In the depicted example, network data processing system 100 is theInternet with network 102 representing a worldwide collection ofnetworks and gateways that use the Transmission ControlProtocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite of protocols to communicatewith one another. At the heart of the Internet is a backbone ofhigh-speed data communication lines between major nodes or hostcomputers, consisting of thousands of commercial, government,educational and other computer systems that route data and messages. Ofcourse, network data processing system 100 also may be implemented as anumber of different types of networks, such as for example, an intranet,a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless datacommunication network, or any combination of the above. FIG. 1 isintended as an example, and not as an architectural limitation for thepresent invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, a block diagram of a data processing system thatmay be implemented as a personal on-demand media streaming server, suchas server 104 in FIG. 1, is depicted in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the present invention. Data processing system 200 may be asymmetric multiprocessor (SMP) system including a plurality ofprocessors 202 and 204 connected to system bus 206. Alternatively, asingle processor system may be employed. Also connected to system bus206 is memory controller/cache 208, which provides an interface to localmemory 209. I/O bus bridge 210 is connected to system bus 206 andprovides an interface to I/O bus 212. Memory controller/cache 208 andI/O bus bridge 210 may be integrated as depicted.

Peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus bridge 214 connected to I/Obus 212 provides an interface to PCI local bus 216. One or more modemsmay be connected to PCI local bus 216. Typical PCI bus implementationswill support four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors.Communications links to clients 108 and 112 in FIG. 1 may be providedthrough modem 218 or network adapter 220 connected to PCI local bus 216through add-in boards. The personal on-demand media streaming server 104may be coupled directly to the network 102 via the modem 218 or networkadapter 220, or may be indirectly connected to the network 102 via apersonal computer 106 that it is connected to via the network adapter220 or other type of device interface.

A memory-mapped graphics adapter 230 and hard disk 232 may also beconnected to I/O bus 212 as depicted, either directly or indirectly.Similarly, a CD-ROM drive 250, DVD-ROM drive 252, and other media accessdevice interfaces 253-254 may be connected to the I/O bus 212 in orderto obtain access to media files stored on physically removable media.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardwaredepicted in FIG. 2 may vary. For example, other peripheral devices, suchas optical disk drives and the like, also may be used in addition to orin place of the hardware depicted. The depicted example is not meant toimply architectural limitations with respect to the present invention.

The data processing system depicted in FIG. 2 may be, for example, aseparate dedicated personal on-demand media streaming server running anoperating system, such as the Advanced Interactive Executive (AIX)operating system or LINUX operating system. Alternatively, the personalon-demand media streaming server may be integrated into, such as via anexpansion board or other pluggable device, or connected to a personalcomputing device via a direct connection or local network. In such anembodiment, the personal on-demand media streaming server may performthe functionality of the present invention while relying on the personalcomputer for storage of media files and connection to the network andother devices. In such an embodiment, the operating system of thepersonal computer may communicate with an on-demand media streamingserver via device drivers or the like.

With reference now to FIG. 3, a block diagram illustrating a client dataprocessing system is depicted in which the present invention may beimplemented. Data processing system 300 is an example of a clientcomputer. Data processing system 300 employs a peripheral componentinterconnect (PCI) local bus architecture. Although the depicted exampleemploys a PCI bus, other bus architectures such as Accelerated GraphicsPort (AGP) and Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) may be used.

Processor 302 and main memory 304 are connected to PCI local bus 306through PCI bridge 308. PCI bridge 308 also may include an integratedmemory controller and cache memory for processor 302. Additionalconnections to PCI local bus 306 may be made through direct componentinterconnection or through add-in boards. In the depicted example, localarea network (LAN) adapter 310, SCSI host bus adapter 312, and expansionbus interface 314 are connected to PCI local bus 306 by direct componentconnection.

In contrast, audio adapter 316, graphics adapter 318, and audio/videoadapter 319 are connected to PCI local bus 306 by add-in boards insertedinto expansion slots. Expansion bus interface 314 provides a connectionfor a keyboard and mouse adapter 320, modem 322, and additional memory324. Small computer system interface (SCSI) host bus adapter 312provides a connection for hard disk drive 326, tape drive 328, andCD-ROM drive 330. Typical PCI local bus implementations will supportthree or four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors.

An operating system runs on processor 302 and is used to coordinate andprovide control of various components within data processing system 300in FIG. 3. The operating system may be a commercially availableoperating system, such as Windows XP or Windows CE which are availablefrom Microsoft Corporation, LINUX, the Palm operating system, or othertypes of known operating systems for wired and wireless computingdevices. An object oriented programming system such as Java may run inconjunction with the operating system and provide calls to the operatingsystem from Java programs or applications executing on data processingsystem 300. “Java” is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Instructionsfor the operating system, the object-oriented programming system, andapplications or programs are located on storage devices, such as harddisk drive 326, and may be loaded into main memory 304 for execution byprocessor 302.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware inFIG. 3 may vary depending on the implementation. Other internal hardwareor peripheral devices, such as flash read-only memory (ROM), equivalentnonvolatile memory, or optical disk drives and the like, may be used inaddition to or in place of the hardware depicted in FIG. 3. Also, theprocesses of the present invention may be applied to a multiprocessordata processing system.

The data processing system 300 is illustrated as a personal computingdevice. However, the data processing system 300 may be any type of dataprocessing device that is capable of requesting, receiving andoutputting streaming media. For example, the data processing device maybe embodied as a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a hand-heldcomputer, a mobile telephone, a wireless enabled automobile stereosystem, a wireless enabled personal MP3 or other media format player, awireless enabled automobile video system, computerized alarm clocks,intercom systems in homes, kitchen radio devices and other householdappliances that would traditionally play physical media or receive radioand/or television signals, or the like. No limitation as to the type ofdata processing system that may be used with the present invention,other than having the capability of requesting, receiving and outputtingstreaming media, is intended or implied by the depiction in FIG. 3.

As mentioned above, the present invention provides a personal on-demandmedia streaming server that is accessible only by an owner of thepersonal on-demand media streaming server via an authorized clientdevice or a small group of other users that are explicitly identified bythe owner as having permission to access media files via the personalon-demand media streaming server. In a preferred embodiment, thepersonal on-demand media streaming server is intended to be astand-alone device that is coupled to a network, e.g., the Internet,either directly or through a personal computing device. Alternatively,the personal on-demand media streaming server may be embodied assoftware running on a personal computing device that transforms thepersonal computing device into a personal on-demand media streamingserver. Regardless of the particular embodiment chosen the functionalityof the present invention as described hereafter is the same.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the personal on-demand media streaming server104 performs the operations of the present invention as described ingreater detail hereafter and may make use of a storage device (notshown) that is either integrated into the personal on-demand mediastreaming server 104, a storage device of the personal computing device106 to which it is coupled, or a separate storage device coupled to thepersonal on-demand media streaming server 104 in which media files arestored. The media files may be audio, video, or graphical files that arestored in a compressed format that is suitable for streaming, e.g., MP3,AVI, etc. The media files are preferably copies of media owned by theuser of the present invention and which have been converted to thecompressed format. For example, the media files may be MP3 formattedversions of songs from compact discs owned by the user, AVI filescorresponding to movies or other viewable content from DVDs owned by theuser, or the like. The media may be converted to the compressed formatusing known techniques, a process sometimes referred to as “ripping” themedia to a compressed format.

The personal on-demand media streaming server 104 responds to log onrequests and requests for media files from client devices 108 and 112.The personal on-demand media streaming server 104, or personal computer106, may have a network address, e.g., an Internet Protocol (IP) addressassociated with it that is used by browser software on the clientdevices to gain access to the personal on-demand media streaming server104. For example, a user of a client device 108 may enter a domain namefor the personal on-demand media streaming server 106 which is thenmapped by a domain name server to the IP address associated with thepersonal on-demand media streaming server 104.

In response to receiving a log on request from a client device 108, thepersonal on-demand media streaming server 104 requests authenticationinformation from the client device 108. This authentication informationis authentication information that not only authenticates the particularuser of the client device 108, but also the client device 108 itself.That is, the authentication information may require a user ID andpassword to authenticate the user and a device ID associated with theclient device 108.

The user may not be informed of the device ID of the client device 108and it may be automatically retrieved from the client device 108. Forexample, a MAC address of a network card may be utilized as a deviceidentifier that is checked by the personal on-demand media streamingserver 104 in order to authenticate the log on request from the clientdevice 108. Alternatively a Mobile Identification Number (MIN) or thelike may also be utilized.

The MAC address, MIN, or other device identifier must be registered withthe personal on-demand media streaming server 104 prior to the log onrequest being received in order for the log on request to beauthenticated. This may require that the owner of the personal on-demandmedia streaming server 104 perform a registration process forregistering the client device 108. This registration process may requirethat personal information about the owner of the personal on-demandmedia streaming server 104, e.g., maiden name, social security number,place of birth, personal preferences, or other information generallyknown only to the owner, be entered along with the automatic detectionof the device ID. This check helps to ensure that the owner of thepersonal on-demand media streaming server 104 and the owner of theclient device 108 are the same person since it is much easier for thesame person to register his/her client devices 108 and 112 with thepersonal on-demand media streaming server 104 than it is for anotherperson, that must first obtain permission from the owner of the personalon-demand media streaming server 104, to register his/her devices withthe personal on-demand media streaming server 104 using informationabout the owner of the personal on-demand media streaming server 104.

If the personal on-demand media streaming server 104 determines that theuser ID/password and the device identifier match stored values, then thelog on request is authenticated and the user of the client device 108 ispermitted to request media to be streamed from the personal on-demandmedia streaming server 104 to the client device 108. The personalon-demand media streaming server 104 may provide one or more graphicaluser interfaces, such as in the form of web pages, to the client device108 through which the user of the client device 108 may select mediafiles for streaming to the client device 108. These interfaces mayinclude, for example, selectable options and fields through which theuser of the client device 108 may enter information regarding particularmedia files to stream, a pre-established play list (a collection ofmedia files having an order) to be streamed, a media streaming schedule(a collection of media files having an order and designated streamingtimes) to be streamed, a quality of the media stream (e.g., large size,medium size, small size for video streams), and the like. In oneembodiment, the graphical user interfaces provide a file and directorytree through which the user of the client device 108 may navigate toselect the media files that he/she wishes to have streamed to the clientdevice 108. The interfaces may further provide a mechanism through whichthe user of the client device may establish new play lists and mediastreaming schedules and have them stored in the personal on-demand mediastreaming server 104.

The selected options and inputs into the fields of the graphical userinterfaces are used to generate media streaming requests that areprovided to a file server of the personal on-demand media streamingserver 104. The file server retrieves the requested media files from amedia file library storage device (not shown) and makes them availablefor streaming by the personal on-demand media streaming server 104. Thepersonal on-demand media streaming server 104 then streams the mediafiles to the client device 108.

It is important to note that the personal on-demand media streamingserver 104 is a personal server in nature. That is, rather than a serverthat is generally accessible by the public, or even a private server ona local area network or virtual private network, the personal on-demandmedia streaming server 104 is generally only accessible by the owner ofthe personal on-demand media streaming server 104. There are some caseswhere the owner of the personal on-demand media streaming server 104 maygrant temporary access to other individuals, but this is intended to bea rare case.

Thus, the security mechanisms of the personal on-demand media streamingserver 104 are intended to ensure that only the owner of the personalon-demand media streaming server 104 gains access to the media filesmanaged by the personal on-demand media streaming server 104. This iswhy the client devices 108 that are granted access to the media filesmust be client devices that have been previously registered by the ownerof the personal on-demand media streaming server 104 as being authorizedclient devices. Furthermore, the user must enter a personal identifierand password in order to verify that it is the actual owner that isrequesting access to the personal on-demand media streaming server 104.Thus, by use of the security mechanisms of the personal on-demand mediastreaming server 104, the present invention requires that the personalon-demand media streaming server 104 and client device 108 be owned bythe same person and that the owner be the person using the client device108 at the time the request for media streaming is received.

In addition, the personal on-demand media streaming server 104 of thepresent invention, in a preferred embodiment, is intended to be anout-of-the-box personal on-demand media streaming server. That is, thepersonal on-demand media streaming server 104 is preconfigured duringmanufacture to include a file server, a web server, and user interfacesthat are usable to access media files for streaming of the media filesto an authorized client device. The personal on-demand media streamingserver 104 may further include a storage device upon which a user maystore media files to which streaming access will later be requested. Themedia files may be stored on the storage device by way of one or morecommunications ports that may be used to couple a media storage system,such as an MP3 player, laptop computer, hand held computer, personalcomputer, or the like, to the personal on-demand media streaming server104 for transfer of the media files.

The owner of the personal on-demand media streaming server 104 mayfurther configure the server 104 to permit only his/her access to themedia files by using a registration process that provides networkaddress information and information for use in authenticating the userand the client devices that the user may use to access the media files.Such registration may be performed through a personal computer or thelike that is coupled to the personal on-demand media streaming server104. Once configured in this manner, and once media files aretransferred to the storage device of the personal on-demand mediastreaming server 104, the personal on-demand media streaming server 104is ready to operate as a stand-alone personal server.

Alternatively, as previously mentioned, the personal on-demand mediastreaming server 104 may be used in conjunction with a personal computersuch that transfer of the media files to a local storage device of thepersonal on-demand media streaming server 104 and setting up of networkaddress information is not necessary. The registration of informationfor use in authenticating the user and the client devices is stillnecessary in this embodiment, however.

Thus, by simply coupling the personal on-demand media streaming server104 to a network connection or personal computer and a quickconfiguration and optional file transfer procedure, the personalon-demand media streaming server 104 is made ready for operation on thenetwork. This eliminates the need for specially trained personnel thatare familiar with administration of servers and allows any person toquickly establish their own personal server in their home or office.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating the primary operationalelements of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the personalon-demand media streaming server 400 includes a network interface 420, aweb server 425, a file server 430, a security module 440, and a userinterface 445. The elements 420-445 may be implemented in hardware,software, or any combination of hardware and software. In a preferredembodiment, the elements 420-445 are implemented as softwareinstructions executed by one or more processors.

The network interface 420 provides an interface through which thepersonal on-demand media streaming server 400 may send and receive datavia one or more networks. The file server 430 provides a mechanism foraccessing data stored in an associated data storage device. This datamay be, for example, music, videos, pictures, and other types of mediathat are stored in a data format on an arbitrarily large hard disk orseries of hard disks.

The web server 425 provides a mechanism that makes the data accessiblevia the file server 430 available to client devices over the one or morenetworks via the network interface 420. In the interest of security andprivacy, the web server may be configured to use the Secure Socket Layer(SSL) encryption technology, HyperText Transport Protocol Secure(HTTPS), or other type of encryption/protocol, to protect datatransmitted to and from the web server 425. This helps to prevent aninterloper from gaining access to data streams being sent from the webserver 425 to a client device over the one or more networks.

The security module 440 is used to perform security checks to ensurethat a client device and a user of a client device are the authorizeduser and device to which on-demand media streaming is to be madeavailable. These security checks may include, for example, a passwordand user ID check, a device identifier check, and the like. Any securitymechanism that is used to ensure that both the user and the device arepermitted to access media files via the web server 425 and file server430 may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention.

The user interface 445 is used to provide one or more graphical userinterfaces to client devices through which a user of a client device mayaccess media files via the web browser 460 and the file server 430. Thegraphical user interfaces may include one or more interfaces thatprovide a graphical tree illustrating the media files that areaccessible via the file server 430, selectable options for selecting themedia files to be streamed to a client device, and fields for entry ofinformation identifying media files to be streamed.

The client device 410 includes a network interface 455, a web browser460, a streaming media buffer storage 465, a streaming media player 470,and a streaming media output device 475. The elements 455-475 may beimplemented as software, hardware, or any combination of software andhardware. In a preferred embodiment, the elements 455-475 areimplemented as software instructions executed by one or more processors.

The network interface 455 is an interface that provides a connectionwith one or more networks and allows data to be transmitted and receivedby the client device 410. The web browser 460 is an application thatpermits a user of the client device 410 to access servers and resourcesvia one or more networks, such as the Internet. The streaming mediabuffer storage 465 provides a temporary storage of streaming media dataprior to the data being output by the streaming media player 470 to astreaming media output device 475. The streaming media player 470 is asoftware application that is capable of processing streaming media datasuch that it is output as video, audio, images, or the like. Thestreaming media output device 475 may be any type of media output deviceincluding audio output devices, video and image output devices, or thelike.

The operation of the present invention in terms of the operationalelements depicted in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to themessage flow diagram illustrated in FIG. 5. In operation, the user ofthe client device 410 sends a log-on request to the personal on-demandmedia streaming server 400 via the web browser 460 and one or morenetworks. The web server 425 of the personal on-demand media streamingserver 400 receives the log-on request and forwards the log-on requestto the security module 440. The log-on request includes a deviceidentifier that is automatically inserted into the header of the log-onrequest data packets. This device identifier is verified by the securitymodule 440 as being a device that has been registered as being anauthorized device to which media files may be streamed.

If the device identifier identifies an authorized device, the securitymodule 440 transmits a request for a user ID and password to the webbrowser 460. The user of the client device may then enter a user ID andpassword and transmit this information back to the security module 440.The security module 440 verifies the information received from theclient device and either grants or denies access to media files based onthis verification.

If access is granted, the web server 425 provides one or more userinterfaces through which a user of the client device may enter a requestfor media files. These user interfaces, as previously mentioned, mayinclude fields and selectable options through which a user may selectmedia files, play lists, media streaming schedules, and the like. Theuser of the client device may enter the appropriate information into theuser interfaces and transmit the information back to the web server 425.

Upon receiving the request for media information, the request isforwarded from the web server 425 to the file server 430. The fileserver 430 then requests the media files from the media library storagedevice 435. The media files are provided to the file server 430 and arethen provided to the web server 425. The web server 425 streams themedia files to the web browser 460 on the client device.

The client device receives the media file stream and stores the data ina streaming media data buffer storage 465. The streaming media player470 reads the data from the streaming media data buffer storage 465 andpresents it as output to the streaming media output device 475.

Thus, with the present invention, a user may establish his/her ownpersonal on-demand media server that has access to his/her own personallibrary of media files. The user may register the client devices thatmay be used to gain access to the media files and register a user ID andpassword that is used to ensure that the user of these devices is theperson that owns the personal on-demand media server and the clientdevices.

The media files may a accessible by client devices from any location aslong as the client devices are registered as authorized client devicesand have a communication link that may be used to gain access to thepersonal on-demand media streaming server. Thus, the client device maybe a mobile wireless computing device, a wired computing device,computerized alarm clocks, intercom systems in homes, kitchen radiodevices and other household appliances that would traditionally playphysical media or receive radio and/or television signals, or the like.For example, the client device of the present invention may be awireless enabled car stereo systems, a wireless enabled car videosystem, a wireless telephone device, a wireless laptop or portablecomputer, a personal computer, or the like. Thus, for example, awireless enabled stereo system may be used in an automobile to log-on tothe personal on-demand media streaming server of the present inventionand download a media stream of audio files from a home based server.Similarly, video media files may be accessed from a home base server viaan automobile based wireless enabled video system. Other similar uses ofthe present invention may be made without departing from the spirit andscope of the present invention.

Thus, the present invention permits a private server/client session tobe established in order to access a private library of media files. Inorder to provide greater security in ensuring that the personalon-demand media streaming server is only accessed by an owner of thepersonal on-demand media streaming server, an alternative embodiment ofthe present invention includes a mechanism for ensuring personalphysical possession of a device that is only made available to a personthat has direct physical access to the personal on-demand mediastreaming server and the client device used to access the media filesvia the personal on-demand media streaming server.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram of an alternative embodiment of apersonal on-demand media streaming server according to the presentinvention. The primary difference between this embodiment of a personalon-demand media streaming server and the previously describedembodiments is that a mechanism is provided for ensuring that the userof the client device that is attempting to access media files via thepersonal on-demand media streaming server is in physical possession of adigital certificate that confirms that the user is an authorized user ofthe personal on-demand media streaming server.

As shown in FIG. 6, the personal on-demand media streaming server 600includes a network interface 610, a web server 620 a file server 630, asecurity module 650, a user interface 660, a removable security mediareader/writer 670, and a digital certificate storage device 680. Thenetwork interface 610, web server 620, file server 630, and userinterface 660 are similar to elements 420-430 and user interface 445 ofFIG. 4. The primary difference between the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 6 and that of FIG. 4 lies in the removable security mediareader/writer 670, the digital certificate storage device 680 and theoperation of the security module 650, as discussed hereafter.

In order to ensure that the user of a client device requesting access tomedia files via the personal on-demand media streaming server 600, thisembodiment of the present invention requires that the user physicallypossess a physical media upon which a digital certificate or otherauthentication device is present. The media may be any type of removableand portable media upon which data may be stored. Examples of such mediainclude smart cards, floppy disks, CD-ROM discs, DVD-ROM discs, USBdrives, and the like.

Upon initialization of the personal on-demand media streaming server, orat some later time when the owner of the personal on-demand mediastreaming server deems it appropriate, the security module 650 of thepersonal on-demand media streaming server 600 may be used to generate adigital certificate or other authentication data. This digitalcertification is written to a removable media via the removable securitymedia reader/writer 670. In addition, the digital certificate is writtento a local digital certificate storage device 680. The digitalcertificate may be encrypted using any known encryption mechanism whenwriting it to the removable security media in order to provide addedsecurity.

The digital certificate may be associated with the entire media filelibrary stored on the media library storage 640 or may be associatedwith only a portion of the media library storage 640. Thus, for example,an owner of the personal on-demand media streaming server 600 maydesignate a first digital certificate for a first portion of a set ofaudio files in the media library storage 640, a second digitalcertificate for a second portion of the set of audio files in the medialibrary, and a third digital certificate for the video media files inthe media library. In this way, different digital certificates may beassociated with different portions and types of media files and may bedistributed via physical media to a select few users.

Once the digital certificate is transferred to the removable securitymedia, the removable media may be removed and used by a user of a clientdevice in order to obtain access to at least a portion of the mediafiles in the media library storage device 640. When the user of a clientdevice wishes to gain access to the media library storage 640, the usermust insert the removable security media into the client device in orderfor authentication to succeed. Thus, only persons that have a physicalcopy of the removable security media and are accessing the personalon-demand media streaming server 600 via a registered client device mayactually obtain access to media files in the media library storage 640.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram of an alternative embodiment of a clientdevice according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, theclient device 700 includes a network interface 710, a web browser 720, astreaming media buffer storage 730, a streaming media player 740, astreaming media output device 750, and a removable security media reader760. The elements 710-750 are similar to the elements 455-475 of FIG. 4.The primary difference between the client device of FIG. 7 and theclient device of FIG. 4 is the removable security media reader 760 andthe operation of the web browser 720 with regard to the removablesecurity media reader 760.

With this embodiment, the web browser 720, either automatically witheach log-on request, or in response to a request from the personalon-demand media streaming server, retrieves the encrypted digitalcertificate and transmits it to the personal on-demand media streamingserver for authentication. The web browser 720 may be configured suchthat only the removable security media reader 760 may be accessed toobtain the encrypted digital certificate. This helps to ensure that theencrypted digital certificate is not copied to a local storage deviceand used to perform the authentication. In addition, parameters may beset in association with the data file storing the encrypted digitalcertificate, and/or the client device, that precludes the encrypteddigital certificate from being copied to other media or to the clientdevice itself.

Moreover, since the encrypted digital certificate on the removablesecurity media is not the only required security information, but inaddition the client device and user ID/password must also beauthenticated, it is unlikely that an unauthorized user will have accessto all of this information. As a result, a secure personal privatecommunication and access to the personal on-demand media streamingserver is ensured by the security mechanisms of the present invention.

It should be noted that the client device is equipped with a removablesecurity media reader 760 that is only capable of reading the removablesecurity media. Thus, the client device 700 is incapable of writing aremovable security media as the personal on-demand media streamingserver 600 may. In a preferred embodiment, the removable security mediais a smart card that is written to by the personal on-demand mediastreaming server 600 and is utilized by the owner of the personalon-demand media streaming server 600 to access the media files stored onthe media library storage 640 from remotely located client devices, suchas client device 700. Thus, through the mechanisms of the presentinvention, a user may gain access to a personal library of media filesfrom remote locations while ensuring that only the user, or a select fewpersons specifically authorized by the user, is able to access the mediafiles via the personal on-demand media streaming server 600.

FIG. 8A is an exemplary diagram of an alternative embodiment of adistributed data processing system in which the present invention may beimplemented. The previous embodiments have been described in terms ofthe media files being stored in a media library storage device 640 in aformat suitable for streaming, e.g., MP3, AVI, or the like. However, thepresent invention is not limited to such. FIG. 8A illustrates anembodiment in which media information is dynamically converted to astreaming format and streamed to a client device on-demand.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the personal on-demand media streaming server 104is coupled to a plurality of media access devices 810-830. These mediaaccess devices 810-830 may include, for example, a home stereo system810, a video player/recorder 820, a television signal receiver 830, orthe like. For example, the home stereo system 810 may include a compactdisc changer, an MP3 player, and the like. The video player/recorder 820may include, for example, a video cassette player/recorder, a DVDplayer/recorder, a hard-disk based player/recorder, or the like. Thetelevision signal receiver 830 may include, for example, a standardantenna-based television receiver, a satellite dish and receiver, acable connection and receiver, or the like.

The personal on-demand media streaming server 104 includes interfacesfor receiving signals from these various media access devices andconverting these signals into a data of a streamable format. Inaddition, these interfaces permit the personal on-demand media streamingserver 104 to send command signals to the media access devices in aformat that is understandable by the media access devices. That is, forexample, the signals may be sent having codes such as those decipherablefrom an infrared remote control associated with the media accessdevices. Thus, from the stand-point of the media access devices, thecommand is as if it were received from a remote control device ratherthan the personal on-demand media streaming server 104.

Thus, for example, the a user of a client device 108 may log-on to thepersonal on-demand media streaming server 104 and send a play list,using the user interfaces provided by the personal on-demand mediastreaming server 104, to thereby request a series of audio files bestreamed to the client device 108. The client device 108 may be, forexample, a wireless enabled car stereo system having a memory and/orhard drive, as well as having an operating system and web browser forconnecting to the personal on-demand media streaming server 104.

Upon receiving the play list from the client device 108, the personalon-demand media streaming server 104 sends control signals to the homestereo system 810 to thereby load and begin playing the selected audio,e.g., songs. In response, the home stereo system 810 may load theselected compact disc into a reader, begin reading of the data from thecompact disc, and outputting the audio data to the personal on-demandmedia streaming server 104. The personal on-demand media streamingserver 104 may then convert the received audio data to an MP3 or otherformat suitable for streaming. As portions of the audio data are readyfor streaming, the data is streamed to the client device withoutrequiring that all of the audio data for the selection be converted.

A similar operation may be performed with regard to video cassettes,DVDs, and other recorded video/audio data owned by the user. Thus, theuser may acquire a library of recorded video and audio data on variousmedia, such as compact disc, video cassette, and DVD, and be able toaccess these media from a remote location.

With regard to television signals, the present invention permits a userto obtain a schedule of programming, or simply receive the televisionssignals being received by the television signal receiver 830, at aremote location. If a schedule of programming is available, the personalon-demand media streaming server 104 may present this schedule as partof the user interfaces presented to the client device. In this way, theuser of the client device may select programs of interest from theschedule and thereby generated a schedule of streaming media.

When the selected programs begin to be received by the television signalreceiver 830, the personal on-demand media streaming server receivesthese signals as well and converts them to an appropriate format, suchas AVI, for streaming to the client device. This streaming does notrequire that the entire program be stored prior to the streaming but theprogram is streamed as predetermined portions of the program arereceived. That is, once a determined amount of data is received, thedata is streamed to the client device and output via a streaming mediaplayer and streaming media output device. In this way, a user of aremotely located client device may obtain access to televisionprogramming previously only available at a home location.

FIG. 8B is an exemplary block diagram of a personal on-demand mediastreaming server in accordance with the embodiment illustrated in FIG.8A. As shown in FIG. 8B, the personal on-demand media streaming server850 according to this embodiment of the present invention includes anetwork interface 852, a web server 854, a user interface 856, aremovable security media reader/writer 858, a security module 860, adigital certificate storage device 862, a media access device interface870, a media format conversion device 872, and a temporary media storagedevice 874. The elements shown in FIG. 8B are similar to the elements ofprevious embodiments with the exception of the media access deviceinterface 870, the media format conversion device 872, and temporarymedia storage device 874.

The media access device interface 870 provides the requiredfunctionality of permitting the sending of command signals to the mediaaccess devices 890-894 as well as receive signals from the media accessdevices 890-894. The temporary media storage device 874 provides fortemporary storage of signal data received via the media access deviceinterface 870 so that this data may be converted to a streamable format.The media format conversion device 872 converts the signal data in thetemporary media storage device 874 into a streamable format and streamsthe data to the client device via the web server 854 and the networkinterface 852.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary message flow diagram of the alternativeembodiment illustrated in FIG. 8A. As shown in FIG. 9, the message flowis similar to that illustrated in FIG. 5 with the exception that themedia is not accessed using a file server and a media file storagedevice. Rather, as shown, when the request for the media is received,the web server sends the request for the media to the media accessdevice interface 870 which converts the request to an appropriatecommand signal for the media access device 890. The commands are thensent to the media access device 890 to thereby retrieve the requestedmedia. The media data is provided to the temporary media storage device874 where the data is temporarily stored until it is converted to astreamable format.

The media data is retrieved from the temporary media storage device 874and is converted to a streamable format. The media data is then streamedto the client device in a manner similar to that described above withregard to FIG. 5.

Thus, this embodiment of the present invention permits on-demand dynamicconversion and streaming of media information from a source recordingdevice to a client device. This embodiment permits the user of a clientdevice to access media in their original format from remote locationsyet receive the media as streaming data. Because the entire portion ofmedia need not be stored in a semi-permanent storage in the streamingformat prior to streaming to a client device, the present inventionaccording to this embodiment reduces the amount of data storage capacitythat is necessary for implementing the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart that illustrates an exemplary operation of thepresent invention. It will be understood that each block of theflowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the flowchartillustration, can be implemented by computer program instructions. Thesecomputer program instructions may be provided to a processor or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such thatthe instructions which execute on the processor or other programmabledata processing apparatus create means for implementing the functionsspecified in the flowchart block or blocks. These computer programinstructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory or storagemedium that can direct a processor or other programmable data processingapparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructionsstored in the computer-readable memory or storage medium produce anarticle of manufacture including instruction means which implement thefunctions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

Accordingly, blocks of the flowchart illustration support combinationsof means for performing the specified functions, combinations of stepsfor performing the specified functions and program instruction means forperforming the specified functions. It will also be understood that eachblock of the flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations can be implemented by special purposehardware-based computer systems which perform the specified functions orsteps, or by combinations of special purpose hardware and computerinstructions.

As shown in FIG. 10, the operation starts by receiving a log-on requestfrom a client device (step 1010). A device identifier is received in thelog-on request and is verified against stored information identifyingthe device identifiers of authorized devices (step 1020). If the deviceidentifier does not match an authorized device, access is denied and adenial message is returned to the client device (step 1030). If thedevice identifier matches an authorized client device, a request forauthentication information is sent to the client device (step 1040).This authentication information may include, for example, a userID/password and/or a digital certificate or other authentication datareadable from a removable security media.

The authentication information is received and verified against storedauthentication information (step 1050). In some embodiments, this mayinvolve decrypting the authentication information using a private key,hash function, or the like, prior to performing the verification. If theauthentication information is not valid, the access attempt is deniedand a denial message is returned to the client devices (step 1030). Ifthe authentication information is valid, the log-on request is acceptedand one or more user interfaces are provided to the client device forentry of media that the user of the client device wishes to havestreamed (step 1060).

A request for media is generated based on the user's input to the userinterfaces and is received (step 1070). The media identified in therequest are then identified and retrieved from a media source (step1080). The media source may be, for example, a media library storagedevice in which media is already stored in a streamable format or amedia access device that sends signals from the media which are thenconverted to a streamable format. The received media is temporarilystored in a memory and is then streamed to the client device (step1090). The client device receives the media stream and outputs it via astreaming media output device.

Thus, the present invention provides a mechanism by which a privatelibrary of media may be accessed from remote locations by way of apersonal private on-demand media streaming server. Only the owner, andpersons explicitly authorized by the owner, may gain access to the mediathrough the use of various security mechanisms. Furthermore, the owner,or select individuals that have been granted explicit permission by theowner, may access the personal private on-demand media streaming serveronly from pre-registered client devices.

It is important to note that while the present invention has beendescribed in the context of a fully functioning data processing system,those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the processes ofthe present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of acomputer readable medium of instructions and a variety of forms and thatthe present invention applies equally regardless of the particular typeof signal bearing media actually used to carry out the distribution.Examples of computer readable media include recordable-type media, suchas a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a RAM, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, andtransmission-type media, such as digital and analog communicationslinks, wired or wireless communications links using transmission forms,such as, for example, radio frequency and light wave transmissions. Thecomputer readable media may take the form of coded formats that aredecoded for actual use in a particular data processing system.

The description of the present invention has been presented for purposesof illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention, the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

1. A personal on-demand media streaming system, comprising: a medialibrary storage device; and an on-demand media streaming server coupledto the media library storage device, wherein the on-demand mediastreaming server establishes a private communication link to a clientdevice by authenticating both a client device and a user of the clientdevice such that only an authorized user from an authorized clientdevice may access the media library storage device via the on-demandmedia streaming server, and wherein the on-demand media streamingserver, in response to a request for media content from an authorizeduser and an authorized client device, streams the requested mediacontent to the authorized client device.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the client device has an associated device identifier, andwherein the on-demand media streaming server permits access to mediastored in the media library storage device only in response to requestsfrom client devices whose device identifiers are registered with theon-demand media streaming server.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein thedevice identifier is one of a MAC address of a network card associatedwith the client device and a Mobile Identification Number of the clientdevice.
 4. The system of claim 2, wherein the device identifiers ofclient devices are only registrable with the on-demand media streamingserver locally and requires personal information about an owner of theon-demand media streaming server to be provided during a registrationprocess.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein sending a request from theclient device to the on-demand media streaming server includes using agraphical user interface to identify at least one of a media file, aplay list, a media streaming schedule, and a quality of a media streamto be provided.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the on-demand mediastreaming server includes a removable medium read/write device, whereinthe on-demand media streaming server writes a data structure to aremovable medium via the removable medium read/write device, and whereinthe data structure is associated with at least one portion of a set ofmedia in the media library storage device.
 7. The system of claim 6,wherein the client device includes a removable medium read device,wherein the on-demand media streaming server requests a data structurefrom a removable medium in the removable medium read device and grantsaccess to the media library storage device only if the data structurefrom the removable medium in the removable medium read device matches adata structure stored by the on-demand media streaming server.
 8. Thesystem of claim 7, wherein the removable medium is one of a smart card,a floppy disk, a USB drive, a memory stick, and a compact flash memory.9. The system of claim 1, wherein the on-demand media streaming serverstreams the requested media to the client device by dynamicallyretrieving, in response to the request from the client device, mediacontent from the media library storage device, converting the mediacontent to a streamable format, and streaming the converted mediacontent to the client device.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein themedia library storage device is one of a compact disc player, a DVDplayer, a television, a cable television receiver, a satellitetelevision receiver, a hard-disk based television recorder, and a videocassette recorder.
 11. A method of streaming media from an on-demandmedia streaming server to an authorized client device, comprising:establishing a private communication link to a client device byauthenticating both the client device and a user of the client devicesuch that only an authorized user from an authorized client device mayaccess media content via the on-demand media streaming server; receivinga request from the client device for media content; and in response tothe request for media content from the client device, streaming therequested media content to the client device.
 12. The method of claim11, further comprising: registering a device identifier associated withthe client device in the on-demand media streaming server, wherein theon-demand media streaming server permits access to media stored in anassociated media library storage device only in response to requestsfrom client devices whose device identifiers are registered with theon-demand media streaming server.
 13. The method of claim 12, whereinthe device identifier is one of a MAC address of a network cardassociated with the client device and a Mobile Identification Number ofthe client device.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the deviceidentifiers of client devices are only registrable with the on-demandmedia streaming server locally and requires personal information aboutan owner of the on-demand media streaming server to be provided during aregistration process.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the requestincludes a designation of at least one of a media file, a play list, amedia streaming schedule, and a quality of a media stream to beprovided.
 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising: writing a datastructure to a removable media, wherein the data structure is associatedwith at least one portion of a set of media in a media library storagedevice associated with the on-demand media streaming server.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, wherein establishing a private communication linkwith the client device includes: requesting a data structure from aremovable media in a removable media reader associated with the clientdevice; comparing the data structure from the removable media to a datastructure stored in the on-demand media streaming server; and permittingaccess to media in the associated media library storage device only ifthe data structure from the removable media matches the data structurestored in the on-demand media streaming server.
 18. The method of claim17, wherein the removable medium is one of a smart card, a floppy disk,a USB drive, a memory stick, and a compact flash memory.
 19. The methodof claim 11, wherein streaming the requested media content to the clientdevice includes: dynamically retrieving, in response to the request fromthe client device, media content from a media library storage device;converting the media content to a streamable format; and streaming theconverted media content to the client device.
 20. The method of claim19, wherein the media library storage device is one of a compact discplayer, a DVD player, a television, a cable television receiver, asatellite television receiver, a hard-disk based television recorder,and a video cassette recorder.
 21. A computer program product in acomputer readable medium for streaming media from an on-demand mediastreaming server to an authorized client device, comprising: firstinstructions for establishing a private communication link to a clientdevice by authenticating both the client device and a user of the clientdevice such that only an authorized user from an authorized clientdevice may access media content via the on-demand media streamingserver; second instructions for receiving a request from the clientdevice for media content; and third instructions for streaming therequested media content to the client device in response to the requestfor media content from the client device.